There's no end to the public fascination with Brood II cicadas that emerge every 17 years on the U.S. East Coast, so there will be plenty of noise about their noise Monday at the International Congress on Acoustics in Montreal. A U.S. Navy research team has been studying the insects in an effort to replicate their acoustical feat of producing big sound with a tiny instrument - small plates on the sides of the insect's thorax. Why would the Navy care about cicadas? It's all about underwater acoustics used in signaling and remote sensing.

A new federal report recommends taking a voluntary approach rather than government regulation to reduce the noise and safety risks of low-flying helicopters over neighborhoods across the Los Angeles Basin. The study by the Federal Aviation Administration stems from requests by members of California's Congressional delegation to address concerns about chopper flights over homes, businesses and landmarks, such as the Hollywood Bowl during performances. The report immediately drew fire from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank)

"Do I get paid for this?" says Mel Brooks at the end of Robert Trachtenberg's biographical documentary, "Mel Brooks: Make a Noise," premiering Monday as part of the PBS series "American Masters. " "If this program was called 'Dutch Masters,' I'd have boxes of cigars. But I had to be foolish and settle for 'American Masters.'" Writer, director, comedian, actor, producer, songwriter and drummer (because, as a drummer, you "made the most noise"), Brooks, who turns 87 this year, is in the midst of a long public moment.

Nothing in the Los Angeles Philharmonic's repertoire calls for 135-ton trains. The orchestra aims to keep it that way when Metro light rail cars start rumbling through a subway tunnel near Walt Disney Concert Hall. Experts who know the hall's acoustics are worried that the listening experience in the main auditorium could suffer when subway trains begin running 125 feet below the parking garage in 2020. "It would be a disaster for Disney Hall," said its architect, Frank Gehry.

Most raucous noisemaking on Cinco de Mayo results from partygoers' overconsumption of tequila. But at Psycho de Mayo, it's guitar feedback that will result in the splitting headaches. Noted noiseniks Black Mountain and A Place to Bury Strangers headline a bill that's a fine counterbalance to the usual Cinco self-pickling. Yost Theater, 307. N. Spurgeon St., Santa Ana. 2 p.m. Sun. $25. yosttheater.com.

One reason fans attend auto races is because the cars are loud -- in some cases, exceptionally loud. Spectators simply love the roar of the engines. So what if a race was held with significantly quieter cars? Would fans still find it appealing? Los Angeles plans to find out. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced last week that L.A. is one of 10 global cities where a new racing organization, Formula E, hopes to hold street races with all-electric cars, starting next year. The cars would be true race cars, roughly similar in size and shape to those in the IndyCar series.

UCLA football is embracing a high-tech future. The Bruins unveiled a new gizmo Wednesday: the CoachComm Tempo, a system that includes two Led Zeppelin-ready speakers and that can run the clock and scoreboard, simulate crowd noise, play music and be used to amplify the instructions of coaches. "A lot of teams around the country are using this," Coach Jim Mora said. "Oregon uses it; Chip Kelly bought one when he went to [coach] Philadelphia. We talked to five or six coaches and they all said it would help practice efficiency.

April 15, 2013 | By Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times Pop Music Critic

The heaviest place to be at Coachella 2013, from a sound perspective, wasn't in the sweet spot of the Main Stage rig while Phoenix was preparing for the arrival of R. Kelly, or at the heart of the Sahara stage during Baauer's big, dumb, joyous set of beat music, heavy on the synth riffs and dirty beats. It was nestled away near the food court in the Yuma tent, where four bass cabinets the size of Jeeps were parked in each corner of the room. The tent is the sixth and newest venue at the festival, and because it's fully enclosed, the bass can't escape.

With TV cameras bringing fans ever closer to the game, plus the rising cost of attending live events, NFL teams are competing with the couch. They have to find new and creative ways to attract fans to games. To that end, the league has decided to relax its rules about when the video board can be used to encourage crowd noise and therefore “create a more exciting, vibrant stadium experience at each home game.” The league's eight-member Fan Experience Club Working Group, composed of team owners and executives, proposed these changes that have been approved by the business ventures and competition committees: -- At each game, the home team will be permitted to use stadium audio to prompt the crowd until 20 seconds remain on the play clock.

The mother of a Northridge girl who was abducted in the middle of the night was awakened by a sound just before she discovered her daughter was gone, police said. After checking on her daughter at 1 a.m. Wednesday, the mother awoke again around 3:40 a.m. to a noise. When she got up to check on her daughter, she noticed the 10-year-old girl's door was ajar. When she peered inside her daughter's bedroom, it was empty. "It's every parent's nightmare,” said LAPD Capt. Kris Pitcher.